Material and process of manufacturing same.



UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK F. PULVER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,375, dated January 3, 1905. Continuation of application Serial No. 182,694, filed November 25, 1908. This application filed June 4, 1904. Serial No. 211,110.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK F. PULVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Material and Process of Manufacturing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide av material which shall be waterproof and in this respect equal to hard rubber, which shall be flexible and elastic, and which shall at the same time be unaffected by such unequal exposures to heat as oftentimes occur in the case of articles made out of hard rubber.

An essential feature in my present invention consists in the production of a thin elastic and flexible material which shall be waterproof and shall at the same time have a tendency to return to its normal level and straightened eout condition after once having been bent.

Another essential feature of my present invention consists in the production economically of a fabric'of the character described.

This object I secure by producing upon both surfaces of the article, fabric, or sheet a practically equal and uniform surface tension. For producing such a fabric I may use a base of either press-board or fiber of the desired thickness. This press-board or fiber preferably, although by no means necessarily, after having been cut to practically the desired size and shape I coat thoroughly on both sides with a solution of pyroxylin or with a pyroxylin varnish of the desired consistency. After having thus been coated with pyroxylin varnish the sheet is dried, preferably by being subjected to a current of heated air. I have frequently found it advantageous to impregnate the press-board or fiber with linseed-oil or other similar oil. which results in a more thorough union between the pyroxylin varnish and the body of the fiber or press-board thus coated. The sheets of fiber or pressboard after having been coated with one or more coats of the pyroxylin varnish, as desired, and after they have been thoroughly dried are subjected to heavy pressure between perfectly level and preferably polished nickel plates, which are heated by steam to such a temperature as will permit of the pyroxylin under the pressure exerted being forced more or less into the fibers of the plate coated thereby and also causing the pyroxylin to be very uniformly distributed over the sheet and into the minute interstices therein, while at the same time when such sheets are allowed to cool in the press the action of such heat and pressure is to produce upon each side of the sheet thus treated a practically equal and uniform surface tension, so that such sheets so treated have a strong tendency to maintain a perfectly level uniform surface upon both sides. A sheet of material of the character described when treated in this way I have found to answer admirably for most of the purposes for which hard rubber may be employed. It is much cheaper and for many such uses it is far superior to hard rubber, in that when subjected to unequal heat at different parts of its surface by contact with a heated body or by allowing it to remain in the sun it will neither blister, warp, nor twist and get out of shape, as would be the case with hard rubber. For very many other purposes, such as letter-files and file-wrappers, the material above described answers admirably also. The sheets of fiber or press-board may be coated by dipping them in a solution of pyroxylin, if desired, instead of by brushing. I desire to call attention also to the fact that a fabric of most any desired conformation may be treated in this way and a strong tendency to maintain that conformation created by the equalizing in the manner described of the surface tension upon both sides of such fabric or article.

What I claim is- 1. As a new article of manufacture a sheet of fiber or press-board coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheet.

2. As a new article of manufacture a sheet of fiber or press-board coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin and pressed out level and true in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheet.

3. As a new article of manufacture a sheet of fiber or press-board impregnated with a suitable oil and coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheet. I

4. As a new article of manufacture a sheet of fiber or press-board impregnated with a suitable oil and coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroXylin and pressed out level and true in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheet.

5. The within-described process for producing sheets of fiber or press-board coated uponboth sides with a solution of pyroxylin in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheets, which consists in coating such fiber or press-board upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin,

then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated plates of nickel or other similarly-acting metal.

6. The within-described process for producing sheets of fiber or press-board coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheets which consists in impregnating such sheets with a suitable oil and coating such fiber or press board, upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin, and then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated plates of nickel or other similarly-acting metal.

7. The within-described process for producing sheets of fiber or press-board coated upon I both sides with a solution of pyroxylin in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheets, which consists in coating such fiber or press-board upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin, then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated plates of nickel or other similarly-acting metal, and allowing such press-board or fiber sheets to cool under such pressure between such plates.

8. The within-described process for producing sheets of fiber or press-board coated upon both sides with a Solution of pyroxylin in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheets which consists in impregnating such sheets with a suitable oil and coating such fiber or pressboard upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin, and then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated plates of nickel or other similarly acting metal, and allowing such press-board or fiber sheets to cool under. such pressure between such plates.

9. The within-described process for produc ing sheets of fiber or press-board coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin and pressed outlevel and true in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheets which consists in coating such fiber or press-board upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin, then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated and level and true plates of nickel or other similarly-acting metal.

10. The within-described process for producing sheets of press-board or fiber coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin and pressed out level and true in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheets which consists in impregnating such sheets with a suitable oil then coating such fiber or press-board upon both sides with a solution of pyroxlin, then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated plates of nickel or other similarly-acting metal.

11. The within-described process for producing sheets of fiber or press-board coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin and pressed out level and true in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such-sheets which consists in coating such fiber or press-board upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin, then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated and level and true plates of nickel or other similarly acting metal, and allowing such press-board or fiber sheets to cool under such pressure between such plates.

12. The within-described process for producing sheets of press-board or fiber coated upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin and pressed out level and true in a way to maintain a practically equal surface tension upon both sides of such sheets which consists in impregnating such sheet with a suitable oil then coating such fiber or press-board upon both sides with a solution of pyroxylin, then drying such sheets and subjecting the same to pressure between heated plates of nickel or other similarly-acting metal and allowing such press-board or fiber sheets to cool under such pressure between such plates.

FRANK F. PULVER.

Witnesses:

CLARA M. SIEVER, OSBORNE F. GURNEY.

ICC 

